The Regional Editor of The Conversation Africa and an investigative journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, has been released from the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, but without his international passport.
He was nabbed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Sunday morning.
His release came on the heels of intervention by the International Press Institute Nigeria.
Soyinka was arrested and taken into custody at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos around 5.40am on Sunday the 25th of August, 2024 shortly after he arrived Nigeria via a Virgin Atlantic flight from the United Kingdom.
Following the intervention of IPI Nigeria, the SSS released Mr Soyinka on bail after detaining him for not less than six hours.
However, the secret police is still holding on to his international passport.
Although no reason has been given for his arrest and subsequent detention, we view the action of the SSS as part of a plot to intimidate and harass journalists by the President Bola Tinubu administration.
Mr Soyinka’s arrest and detention are not isolated cases.
Since President Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, we have noticed a systematic clampdown on journalists across the country.
The gestapo manner with which Segun Olatunji was arrested and flew from Lagos to Abuja is still fresh in mind.
During the #ENDBADGOVERNANCEINNIGERIA protests across the nation, journalists were directly shot at, reminiscent of the dark days of the military.
Hiding under the Cybercrime Act, the police have embarked on indiscriminate harassment and arrest of journalists.
“For the flimsiest reason, journalists are being invited or arrested. The plan is to stop journalists from carrying out their legitimate duty. We hereby demand the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Soyinka’s international passport,” IPI Nigeria said in a statement on Sunday.
